The Party’s over

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The Democrats came to town last week demonstrating their firm belief in the party, any party, and the bigger the better. From Malibu beach compounds to hip downtown eateries, they ate, drank and made merry as if they had stopped thinking about tomorrow. They gathered at swanky hotels (The Peninsula, The Four Seasons, The Bel Age), trendy clubs (The Rumba Room, The Conga Room, The Sunset Room) and splashy studio backlots (Sony, Universal, Paramount).

Delegates, power-players and beautiful people began the days’ activities with breakfast, limoed to lunch, sailed to cocktail parties, shuffled to the convention, ran off to dinner and wrapped it all up at swinging all-night soirees.

The good times kicked into high gear days before the convention. Serious highrollers headed up the coast where major “Friend of Bill” Barbara Streisand hosted a $100,000-a-couple luncheon to raise money for the Clinton Library. The presidential motorcade snarled traffic along Pacific Coast Highway, vexing those on their way to the Colony where Michele Willens and David Corvo were throwing a high-profile media mixer. The impressive guest list included broadcast luminaries Brian Williams, Jeff Greenfield and Chris Matthews, politicos like Mickey Kantor, pundits like Arianna Huffington and celebs like Billy Baldwin.

The buzz was on veep-nominee-to-be Joe Lieberman.

“It’s a good choice,” insisted Greenfield. “The country’s come a long way in the last 50 years.”

Whether Joe and Co. will win the election, well … ,”that remains to be seen.”

The week’s boozing and schmoozing amounted to a head-turning array of beltway superstars and Hollywood hotshots–think “ET” meets “Face the Nation.” The cast of the “West Wing” met the real thing at an on-set party. The President received an Academy Award at the Governor’s Monday night bash and the Creative Coalition featured a line up that included George Clooney, John Travolta, Ted Field, Harry Hamlin, Goldie Hawn and Joan Rivers.

But it wasn’t all fun and games. Several get-togethers addressed serious issues.

On July 15, the Regent Beverly Wilshire was a who’s who of California’s Democratic contingent. That is where first lady Sharon Davis hosted a luncheon with the likes of Senators Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Governor Gray Davis, Representatives Loretta Sanchez, Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters.

Sponsored by the pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-education organization called “Emily’s List,” speakers discussed the election strategy of today and the need to win tomorrow.

“We want to remind all Americans of how very important the next president will be,” the governor explained. “There will be two, if not more, appointments to the Supreme Court and a woman’s right to choose could be in serious jeopardy.”

Davis had high praise for the accomplishments of the Clinton-Gore administration, saying, “Let us pay back those who have given us the greatest prosperity we have ever enjoyed and help us get the right people elected in November.”

On the following two nights, Al’s pals turned out in force at convention central. It was “Go Joe,” “Four More for Gore” and an explosion of red, white and blue. By Friday, the tables had cleared, the banners came down and the delegates staggered home. The party’s over and now the real work begins.